Shirley Cruz Lands Lead in 'The She-Devil,' a Trans Coming-of-Age Feature

Shirley Cruz just turned heads at the Berlinale with her central performance in "The Best Mother in the World," and now she's moving straight into her next major project. The actor is set to lead "The She-Devil," a trans coming-of-age feature currently in development from directors Clara Ferrer and Tainá Bevilacqua.

The filmmakers are building out their vision through a short film set in the same universe—titled "The Death of the She-Devil"—that's already in the works. It's the kind of approach that lets you test the world and characters before going all-in on the feature.

Cruz's casting makes sense. Coming off critical acclaim at one of the world's biggest film festivals, she's got the kind of presence and range these kinds of character-driven projects need. "The She-Devil" sounds like it's going to be a serious piece of work, the kind of coming-of-age story that actually has something to say about identity and growing up in the margins.

Keep an eye on this one.

Read the full story at Variety → https://variety.com/2026/film/global/shirley-cruz-clara-ferrer-taina-bevilacqua-the-she-devil-1236832820/